The term “road-to-lab-to-math” describes the effort to reduce the amount of on-road testing and replace it with laboratory testing of components and subsystems. Road-to-lab-to-math simulates the functionality of vehicle component on a computer. The simulation uses mathematical models that make evaluation more precise and more representative of in-use conditions.
Alternatively, on-road testing of prototype vehicles can be very expensive; not only because of the costs of the vehicles themselves, but also because they comprise many prototype subsystems. Should one of these subsystems fail, the other subsystems cannot be tested without it. By bringing these subsystems and components to the laboratory, this interdependence of available hardware is eliminated. For example, it is now possible to evaluate a prototype transmission without a prototype engine being attached to it, so engine problems need not affect the transmission test schedule. Alternatively, it is also possible to verify the prototype transmission for compatibility with engines that may not yet be prototyped or even fully designed. Once the prototype is verified in the lab, it can be integrated into the vehicle.